A question I hear repeatedly as a vegan, and one that I can sympathize
with as I, myself, used to think exactly the same thing, along with "why
would anyone do that to themselves?"

But the truth is, you only miss one
thing when you go vegan. It's not the meat. It's not the cheese. It's not
the convenience or the habits.

It's the soothing thought of living in a
fairytale world where everything is going to turn out fine and as long as
the problem isn't within my vicinity, well then, it simply isn't my problem.
The fact is, although I have reached a euphoric sense of peace within my
self, cleansed my conscience and washed the blood from my hands, had my eyes
opened to view the natural world with such respect and awe, been exposed to
the most compassionate group of humans on this Earth, although I have gained
such greatness, I have also gained something I would rather not possess.

An
unyielding annoyance which inhabits my thoughts day after day, if not in the
forefront of my mind then in the back, niggling away at my subconscious.
It's a feeling of helplessness.

I know that everyday my choices DO help to
lessen the amount of animals slaughtered, lessen the destruction of our
rainforests, lessen the pollution poisoning our planet, lessen the amount of
Earthlings being added to the endangered species list, lessen my chances of
illness, but that doesn't make it a whole lot easier to watch the rest of
the world throw away all my efforts with callous disregard.

I do believe
that the majority of our world would adopt a vegan lifestyle within the
blink of an eye, if only they could see what I, and so many other vegans
have seen, if only they could feel what we have felt. Call me naive, but as
I used to be a meat eater in denial, addicted to my conveniences, scoffing
down animal parts in every meal I had because the taste was great, if I was
that person, and I managed to reach this irrevocable stage of veganism, then
I refuse to believe that the majority of the population can't either.
Leaving the taste of meat behind is an issue that need not exist, there are
cruelty free replication everywhere if only one would bother to look. There
is no issue of calcium, iron, protein or strength deficiency, the gorillas,
horses, rhinos, elephants, cows and Mike Tyson's of this Earth are proof
enough of that.

The issue is simply this... If slaughter can be achieved
humanely, then why if I come into your home, hang your dog by his legs, slit
his throat and drain the blood, do you not reply "oh well seeing as you've
killed him humanely, I'll let you off! Stick him in the oven, we'll have him
for dinner." If humanity can be found in an act that is inhumane in its very
nature, then why is it not okay to rape and murder as long as I stun them
first? They won't feel a thing so that's okay, right? For me to do that to
your loved ones? No, of course it's not. Because it's a deprivation of their
wants, needs, and natural rights. It's a denial of their intelligence,
emotions and capabilities. It's selfishness and greed, over understanding
and compassion. and yet, that is how so many of us live our lives. Following
such hypocrisy.

The number of animals across our planet that have been
slaughtered since you have started reading this, is greater than the number
of days you've been alive. Becoming vegan, you open yourself up to a world
of pain that you would rather not see, and yet you continue to look as
though to prove to yourself that it's real. You realise that, no matter how
much it hurts you to look, the pain is nothing compared to the torture in
which they spend their existence.

If you are the reason they suffer, then
you must at least acknowledge the consequences of your actions. It's true
that, once you become vegan you cry enough tears to end the water shortage
crisis, and yet, the feeling of speaking on behalf of those who cannot is so
rewarding that we continue to put ourselves through it. Because it's the
right thing to do. It's bizarre to know that doing so little can actually
achieve so, so much. If the food used to feed mass produced livestock was
given to the starving population of this Earth instead, world hunger would
be a thing of the past. One of the world's largest crisis' could easily
vanish forever, and all from a simple refusal to fund the meat, dairy and
egg industry. For now, we are a minority.

But is that not how all great
movements begin? Did the abolition of slavery not stem from the objections
of the minority? Does the most brilliant of ideas not originate from the
mind of one, or few? On our own we are brave and important, but together, we
are unstoppable. What happens in the world today, derives from the way we
choose to live our daily lives. We must choose the right way if we care at
all for the welfare of our planet, our future generations, our current
generations, and our animal kingdom.

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